[LEFT][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode]We know that the period did not begin well. In much of the world, the early part of the Middle Ages was a dark and dangerous time. In Europe, barbarian tribes stormed the former Roman Empire. In Arabia, nomadic clans warred with each other. In Africa, warriors fought for dominance. In the east, China's ounce-powerful...

[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][SIZE=3]T[/SIZE]he 'Great Hunger' was one of many famines in Ireland during the first half of the nineteenth century, but the size of the disaster dwarfed those that preceded it. A contemporary comment was that "God sent the blight, but the English made the famine: and to some extent this was true because the governments of both Peel and Lord John Russell did little to help the Irish population.[/FONT]
[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode]The Irish population had exploded...

[FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=white][SIZE=3]T[/SIZE]he Seven Years War between Prussia and Austria was the lift off for the British Empire, but who would have imagined it, since Britain's contribution to what was a land war in Europe was light on men and material. But it was heavy in money, spent on Prussia, and designed to keep France occupied while the British navy went around the world scooping up French colonies.[/COLOR][/FONT]